Improvement in skids for drays



E. H. BOSWELL.

Dray-Ski Patented Jan. 5, 1.86.4.

faire 272W Quand N..ETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPMER. WASHXNGTDN. D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

EDWARD H. BOSWELL, OE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SKIDS FOR DRAYS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 41,054, dated January 5, 1864.

Drays; and I do hereby declare that the fol-` lowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this speciflcation, in which- Figure 1 is a side sectional view of my invention, taken in the line :c Fig. 2; Pig. 2, a plan or top view of the same; Fig. 3, an enlarged detached plan of one of the skid-coup lings; Fig. 4, a section of a skid-coupling, taken in the line y y, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to a mode of connecting the skids to the dray, whereby the former are made to perform three separate and distinct offices-to wit, that of skids proper to aid in loading and unloading the dray, of extension-bars to give additional length to the bed of the dray, and of rungs to hold theload on the dray, the skids being used in thelatter capacity when an extension of the dray-bedis not required.

The object of the invention is to dispense with the ordinary frame-skids which are generally usedin warehouses, and greatly obstruct the sidewalks, and at the same time enable every drayman to carry with him on his dray skids which he may employ at any time and in any place to assist him in loading and unloading, and which he may use to extend his dray-bed or use as rungs, as may be required.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the bed of a dray, B B the wheels, and C O the thills thereof. These parts may be constructed in the usual way, and therefore do not require a minute description.

In the back part of the dray-bed A there are framed two longitudinal parallelbars, D D, which extend a short distance beyond the back end of the bed, and have each a slot, a, made in them. The outer parts of said slots are covered by metal plates b, which have each a longitudinal narrow slot, c, made in them, as shown clearly in Fig. 3.

E E represent the rungs or skids of any suitable length, constructed of wood, and of slightly taper form.

To the larger ends of three rungs or skids, at one side, there are permanently secured metal plates F, one to each, said plates being each provided with a projection, d, of T form in its transverse section, as shown clearly in Fig. 4.

The slots a in the bars D, the portions of which are not covered by the metal plates E, are sufficiently large to admit of the metal projections d of the rungs or skids E passing into them, and when the projections d are fitted in the slots aby pulling outward the rungs or skids the plates b, at the edges of the slots c, catch over the heads of the projections d, as shown in Fig. 4, and cause the rungs or skids to be secured to the dray-bed.

By this arrangement it will be seen that the rungs or skids may be used for loading and unloading the dray, and when an extension of the dray-bed is required they may be retained in place to sust-ain a part of theload, the rungs or skids being perforated with holes to receive small metal uprights G, to hold theload. (See Fig. l.)

When an extended dray-bed is not required, the rungs or skids may have their small ends inserted in the openings a, as shown in blue dotted lines in Eig. 1. In this case they perform the office of rungs only. When they are not required for use in any of the capacities named, they may be iitted in the bars D so as to project over on the dray-bed.

Having thus describedm y invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Lettersl Patent, is"- rlhe securing of the rungs or skids E E to the dray-bed A by means of the fastening EDWARD H. BOS'WELL.

Witnesses:

THos. S. J. DOUGLAS, GEO. W. REED. 

